PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 16, 2023
Every year at the end of March, Mainers have a sweet opportunity to visit one of more than 500 sugar houses on Maine Maple Sunday weekend. This year it falls on March 25 and 26. When we started visiting sugar houses back in the 1990s it took about 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. Today, due to climate change, the sugar content in the sap is lower and it takes about 60 gallons for that one gallon. Shorter seasons that start earlier every year because of the warmer winters have been observed and documented by the North American Maple Syrup Council. Stressors to sugar maples that lead to death, such as prolonged drought and invasive pests, are also a result of a changing climate. So, as you’re sampling your tasty treat, ask the producer how his operation has been impacted by climate change – and how he plans to cope with it in the future. ~ William Weber, Portland Climate Action Team, Portland